Touchdowns? The Browns don’t need no stinking touchdowns!
In a game that will never be remembered as a clinic on how to play offensive football (and may not be remembered by anyone other than Sehawks defensive tackle Red Bryant), the Browns beat the Seahawks 6-3 to get their record back to .500 on the season. Phil Dawson hit a pair of field goals from beyond 50 yards, the Browns defense dominated the Seattle offense and that was all it took to get the job done at home.
That record won’t stay at .500 if they don’t find some offense over a stretch of three road games in the next four weeks, including a trip to San Francisco next weekend. Colt McCoy averaged under 10 yards per completion on the afternoon and the running game could barely generate three yards per carry once you take McCoy’s scrambles out of the equation. It was a really poor performance that might not have stood up if not for a questionable penalty on the Seahawks.
Leon Washington appeared to have taken a punt 81 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, but the return was called back because Kennard Cox was flagged for an illegal block. Much like Kam Chancellor’s penalty for roughing McCoy in the first half, it was hard to see what was objectionable about the play but the call was the call and the Seahawks had the ball near midfield after it was assessed.
They didn’t have it long, though. Charlie Whitehurst was picked off by Sheldon Brown on the first play, his second turnover of a totally awful afternoon. Whitehurst, who looked good in leading the Seahawks to a win in the Meadowlands after Tarvaris Jackson got hurt, could get nothing going against the Browns all day and his 12-for-30 day ended any quarterback controversy before it could start. He didn’t get much help from the running game, but it is hard to imagine just what any running back could do to offset that kind of performance.
Now, back to Red Bryant. The Seahawks defensive tackle kept his team alive by blocking two Dawson field goal tries, one in each half, and almost got a third on Dawson’s first make of the day. He was unquestionably the bright spot of the day for Seattle, but all that proves is that a game plan predicated on blocking field goals rarely works out in victories.